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As part of motivating students at the basic schools in the Ellembele district to take seriously the study of science and maths, Member of Parliament for Ellembele, Emmanuel Kofi Amar Buah has sponsored the first ever science and maths quiz in his district.

Following a successful contests, the MP also sponsored finalists of the competition to visit Parliament on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

According to the Ellembele lawmaker, he was motivated by the performance of the students hence his invitation to them to visit Parliament, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and the National theater.

“They came to Parliament and were recognised by the second deputy Speaker who was presiding in the chair, and I did this for them to serve as role model for their colleagues and inspire so many young people”.

Again, they are going to tell their story to everybody in the district that if you study hard and excel you are going to go places, he added.

Mr. Buah further noted that he is going to monitor the performance of the pupils and added that he would give sponsorship to any smart student in the district.

And was more emphatic that he is more concerned about the girl-child who are keen in studying maths and science and would be proud if the students can be the best in the whole of Western Region.

“I am looking at the next engineers, scientist, astronauts who would go to space and change the world, some of them have told me what they want to be. If you are looking for hope for Ghana, those for the next generation are these young students”, he said.

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Ekow Vincent Assafuah, born on September 27, 1990 is the youngest Male Member of Parliament of the 8th Parliament of the fourth Republic of Ghana.

A native of Anomabo Anomansa, he represents the people of Old Tafo in the Ashanti Region at the legislature at the Majority side of the House.

Currently, he is the Deputy Minister for Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development.

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Shang Annang Papa Nii/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Amenfi East Nicholas Amankwah has commended the Deputy Minority leader Emmanuel Kofi Amah Buah for sponsoring students at his district who distinguished themselves in this year’s district Science and Math’s quiz competition to visit Ghana’s Parliament.

Students from four basic schools in the Ellembele District; Kikam SDA Basic School 1st; Kingdom Preparatory School, 2nd; Rock of Ages Academy, 3rd; and A.B. Bokazo Basic School, 4th.

They visited Parliament on Wednesday, June 27, 2024, to witness how the House works.

Hon Nicholas Amankwah commended the Deputy Leader for sponsoring the kids to Parliament, as well as the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and other interesting places in Accra.

The Amenfi East lawmaker commended the Deputy Minority Leader for being down to earth and open adding that despite being in the same party sometimes it is difficult to approach your leader, but he is very open and those of them from the Western Region, they look up to him.

“He is Nkrumah in the making, we look up to him. He has a good heart and those of us from the Western Region in the Minority look up to him”.

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Minister for Trade and Industry, K. T. Hammond has argued that Ghanaian would be better served if there is an Authority in place to regulate pricing of cement, as prices keep sky rocketing.

According to him it has become a normal practice where you buy cement today at eighty Ghana cedis and the following morning it has escalated to one hundred Ghana cedis.

He made this assertion at a media briefing in Parliament on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in the wake of him laying a Legislative Instrument L. I. to set up an Authority to regulate cement pricing in Ghana which has been met with some level of resistance.

The Minister further added that Ghana is producing a lot of cement in the country and has a stored capacity of eleven million tons; but the demand is not that much, so it has become a profitable enterprise for the producers.

“It behooves on those in responsible position to ensure that Ghanaians do not buy it at that high price, I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the cement pricing in the country. We had similar situation during President Kufuor’s time in the petroleum industry where we had an Authority established to regulate it”.

Again, we should have a situation where, a price in the Northern part of Ghana should be same as the Southern Part of Ghana and we should have a holistic look at it and look at whatever factors that goes into it, he affirmed.

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Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee, Kennedy Osei-Nyarko has described as very strange; the decision by his colleagues from the Minority side of the Committee to embark on inspections of some major road projects on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, whiles the Committee had decided to do same on Thursday, June 27, 2024, after a weekend’s workshop.

According to him Ranking on the Committee Adjie Mensah was with him at a workshop over the weekend, but he did not give any indications of selecting his side to go on road inspection, as it turned- out to be the case on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

In an interview just after a media engagement on plans the Committee has to embark on inspections of some major road works in the country; and when asked if he was aware of the trip embarked on by his colleagues from the Minority, he was surprised because he was hearing the information from a journalist.

“I would be disappointed in my Ranking if it turns out that they embarked on this trip. He never discussed this with me; more over the Committee has written to the sector Ministry and we would be embarking on this trip for inspection on Thursday. We must write a report when we return, so does it mean the Minority side will not join us for this trip?” He queried.

What they are doing, are they doing it for political gain, because we have agreed as a committee to embark on oversight road inspection to Kasoa, Winneba, Dodowa and Nungua, he added.

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Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee Kennedy Osei Nyarko has noted that Government’s main idea of building the Boankra land port is to attract investors to also pump their money into building the Tema – Mpakadan Railways network to the port since government does not have enough money to fund both projects at the same time.

According to him heavy trucks hauling large containers by road destroy the country’s road network hence to avoid that the idea of the Eastern rail network came up.

In an interview, he pointed out that the Boankra inland port would save those coming from the Northern parts of the country traveling all the way to Tema port to carry their heavy containers.

And further pointed out that the last time he checked constructing the Mpakadan Railways to the inland port in Kumasi is not going to cost the country less than two million dollars and it could be more than that.

Hence the need to involve the private sector to invest since government cannot raise funds alone for this good initiative.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee Kennedy Osei-Nyarko has pointed out that, they would be visiting various ongoing projects in the Country as part of their oversight responsibility.

According to him in the morning of Thursday, June 27, 2024, the committee would visit the Kasoa, Winneba and Dodowa road projects.

And the Committee has written to the Roads and Transport Ministry concerning these ongoing projects and they have met to consider bills that would be coming before the floor of the House including the Civil Aviation Authority bill.

At a press conference, he pointed out that the Committee would next week visit the Boankra Inland Port as Ghanaians are interested to know about where the project has gotten to and this is within the right of the Committee to know and give advice.

He also stated that the start of the Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project the Committee has not gotten the opportunity to be there to monitor the progress of work. Furthermore, it important to visit the Nungua road project and Obetsebi Lamptey interchange phase II projects to learn at first-hand about the date of completion, funding and inform Ghanaians appropriately.

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Majority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has taken a swipe at the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) for not making the Free Senior High School (SHS) their priority.

According to him the Minority is not committed to the Free SHS and through their spokesperson on Education Peter Nortsu-Kotoe has given indication that they are opposed to it. “We want them to tell Ghanaians if Free SHS is not their priority as a responsible opposition”.

He further pointed out a quick press conference on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 that the Majority will want to enact a law to make free SHS mandatory. “We want to enact a law to make it mandatory; those provisions that talks about free in the constitution are very aspirational, so the way to go is to enact a law to regulate the policy, which is currently operational, but the NDC is opposed to it”.

He affirmed that the bill has received executive approval, and the sector minister is going to carry it to parliament as part of the engagement process. “We engage the Minority but they are adamant. The NDC is not ready for the free SHS bill; it is clear their spokesperson on Education has been very loud on it.”

The last time I wanted a response on the floor, he avoided talking on it and he stayed clear-off it and did not want to give a response, “so we know in parliament the caucus speaks though its spokespersons and they say they are opposed because there is some provision in the constitution; they should tell us where, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

A budget contains reviews of the state of the national economy, expenditure and revenue projections, strategies for revenue generation and policies relevant for the ensuing year.

The President is mandated by article(s) 179 and 180 of the 1992 Constitution to submit a budget to Parliament each year for approval. And the Finance Minister represents the President in presenting the budget in parliament.

Per Article 179, “the budget has to be prepared and laid before Parliament, at least one month before the end of the financial year.

Ghanamps.com/Shang Annang Papa Nii

Member of Parliament (MP) for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro Matthew Sylvester Tetteh has taken a swipe at his colleagues in the Minority for doing all to thwart government business on the floor of the House by not showing up on Thursday, June 20, 2024, because the Minority Leader is in court over the ambulance trial.

According to him they are shirking their responsibility despite the fact that they were voted to come and serve the interest of their constituents.

He added that the action of the Minority also amount to trying to stand in the way of justice delivery and this is not the first time a Member of Parliament is appearing before a court.

“What has the Minority’s presence got to do in court? They have taken an oath to work for this country; Minority Leader cannot be going to court and that should stop parliamentary business. There are so many ways they can express solidarity. Let me be honest with you when you go to court today the MPs you find there would be less than ten, they are in their houses, offices working. They are not here, it is time for the Minority to be exposed”, he said in an interview.

We should be guided that whatever we are doing, Ghanaians are watching. It’s unfortunate we pledge to work for this country and look at what we are doing. There is no way Parliamentary business should not go on because the Minority Leader is in court, he stated.

As to what the way forward is, because since morning of Thursday, June 20, 2024, as at two in the afternoon no business has been carried out on the floor of the House, the Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro lawmaker noted that the Speaker of Parliament should insist on the 10am timeline for the House to commence meeting as it has been advertised in the order paper and leadership of the Majority should take up this matter.

He further added that, as lawmakers they have been told this third meeting is very short and it is sad that much work has not been done with the three weeks that the House came back from recess.

“As a deputy Information Minister, I have to leave the office and come to the House; there is no business on the floor of the House, I have to go back to the Ministry and come back as a Member of Parliament” he lamented.

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